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Patented Dec. I7, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT WY. PAIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,680, dated December1'7, 1889, Application iled May 6, 1889. Serial No. 309,804. (No model.)

T all whom' it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. PAIN, of New York, in the county and Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inMusical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates especially to pianofortes operated mechanically.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view of a musicalinstrument embodying my improvement, the front of the case being removedand certain of the parts being omitted. Fig. 2 is avertical section of aportion of this instrument upon a larger scale, the plan of the sectionbeing transverse to the length of the instrument.

Similar let-ters of reference designate corresponding parts in bothiigures.

A designates the strings of a pianoforte.

B designates hammers for operating upon the strings.

C designates rods serving to actuate the hammers. These rods O are movedupwardly by keys D, of ordinary construction, fulcrumed between theirends upon a rail D and held in position by pins D2. These keys are foroperating the instrument manually.

G designates a number ot electro-magnets.

Their armatures G are carried by levers F,

that are f ulcrumed between their ends, and

at the rear ends serve to transmit motion through pins E to the keys Dfor the purpose of operating the hammers. There is one of theseelectro-magnets for each note to be sounded. Each electro-magnet G isconnected by electric-circuit wires lV. l/V2 IW XV* with contact-piecesP P2. The connections between the electro-magnets and the contact-piecesare in multiple arc and the main-circuit wires are in communication witha battery V. There is one contact-piece P for each electro-magnet G. Thecontact-piece P2 is, however, common to all the electro-magnets. As hereshown, a wire W3 extends from one pole of the battery W5 to a Inetalbrush P4, impinging upon a journal of the contact-piece P2. A wire W4Lextends from the other pole of the battery to the coils of theelectro-magnets G. From the coils of the electro-magnet G a number ofwires W2 extend .to the contact-pieces P. These wires may advantageouslybe offset into a cable from a point somewhere about the point V, Fig. 2,to a point near the magnets G. The contact-pieces P are pressed intocontact with the contact-piece P2 by means of pneumatic motors J,arranged in a chamber I. This instrument is intended to operate inconnection with exhaust-bellows O2; hence this chamber I is anexhaust-chamber. Internally the pneumatic motors .I coinmunicate throughducts a and pipes o with the ducts d2 of the tracker or rest K. Aperforated music-sheet L passes over this tracker or rest and controlsthe admission ot air to the motors. Vhen the motors are expanded by theentrance ot' air, their movable boards operate through pins P3,extending through the bottom of the chamber I to the contactpieces P',to press the contact-pieces P down upon the contact-piece P2, thuscompleting the circuits in which the magnets G are arranged and causingthe latter to oscillate the levers F and keys D in such way as to effectthe operation of the hammers.

The bellows O2 are operated by an electromagnetic engine Q through abelt R, transmitting motion to a crank-shaft O3, connected by pitman O"Lto the bellows O2. A wire XV? extends from the battery 75 to one of thebinding-posts of this engine. The other binding-post of the engine isconnected by a wire with a switch-lever W8. A wire WVG extends from thebattery W5 to a contact-piece S5, with which the switch-leverco-operates.

S designates resistance-coils connected to a number of contact-pieces s4s3 s2 s'. The switch-lever may be adjusted into con tact with any of thecontact-pieces s s2 s3 s4 S5, to introduce more or less resistance intothe circuit of the engine Q, for the purpose of the latter.

The bellows O2 communicate with an equalizer O. This is connected by apipe O5 with a chamber I', which communicates with `the vchamber I,under control of a valve I2. The

valve I2 is connected with mechanism for reversin g the music-sheet, soas to eiect the rewinding of it. Vhenever the mechanism is reversed, soas to effect the rewinding of the music-sheet, the valve I2 is shifted,so as to cut off communication between the bellows and the chamber I andrender the pneumatic motors J inoperative. Thus the speaking of thesound-producing devices during the re- IOO lmade of or faced with metal.

winding of the music-sheet will be prevented. The equalizer O is alsoconnected by a pipe O With a Wind-motor consisting of a number ofbellows-like chambers M and a crankshaft N, connected to their movableboards. The crank-shaft N of the Wind-motor transmits motion through abelt N to a shaft N 2, serving to impart motion to the music-sheet. Avalve OG serves to control the passage of air through the pipe O, and soregulate the speed of the motor.

My present improvement resides in the contact-piece P2. This consists ofa cylinder In the present instance it is represented as made of metaland journaled in bearings P5, affixed to the under side of the chamberI. IVhen made of metal, the brush P4 may impinge upon one of itsjournals. Rotary motion is imparted to this contact-piece P2 by means ofa belt PG, receiving motion from a pulley on the shaft N2 andtransmitting motion through a pulley affixed to one of the journals ofsaid contact-piece.

I have found that by this improvement I can maintain a uniformity ofaction in a mechanical musical instrument and avoid the tendency to fuseand adhere by sparking when separating the contact-pieces. Thecontact-pieces are not apt to'stick together orbecome liable to damagingsparking.

Vhat I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of a number ofelectro-magnets for causing' the operation of sound-producin devices,electric circuits or branch circuits comprising these electro-magnets, anumber of contact-pieces corresponding to the number of magnets,pneumatic motors for operating these contact-pieces, a music-sheetcontrolling the pneumatic motors, a contact-piece opposite thecontact-pieces aforesaid and consisting of a rotary cylinder, andmechanism, substantially such as described, for rotating the saidcylinder, substantially as specified.

2. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of a number ofelectro-magnets for causing the operation of sound-producing u devices,electric circuits or branch circuits comprising these electro-magnets, anumber of contact-pieces corresponding to the number of magnets,pneumatic motors for operating these contact-pieces, a music-sheetcontrolling the pneumatic motors, a contactpiece opposite thecontact-pieces aforesaid and consisting of a rotary cylinder, mechanism,substantially such as described, for rotating' the said cylinder, and ametal brush impinging upon said cylinder, substantially as specified.

3. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of a number ofelectro-magnets for causing the operation of sound-producing devices,electric circuits or branch circuits comprising these electro-magnets, anumber ot' contact-pieces corresponding to the number of magnets,pneumatic motors for operating these contact-pieces, a music-sheetcontrolling these pneumatic motors, rollers upon which the music-sheetis wound and rewound in reverse directions, a valve operated when themusic-sheet is moved backward to render the pneumatic motorsinoperative, a rotary cylinder forming a contact-piece and arrangedopposite the contact-pieces aforesaid, and mechanism, substantially suchas described, for rotating this cylinder, substantially as specified.

ROBERT W. PAIN. lVitnesses:

JAMES MORGAN, W. l. TREMAINE.

